To investigate whether the smoking ban has led to an increase in adverse events in adult psychiatry wards on the Wirral.

We compared the number of violent incidents reported on the adult psychiatry wards in the 6 months before and after the smoking ban. We also compared the number of emergency detentions (section 5.2 and 5.4 of the mental health act) implemented in the 6 months before and after the smoking ban.

There was a 36% reduction in violent incidents in the 6 months after the smoking ban compared to the 6 months before the ban (70 in the 6 months before the ban and 45 in the 6 months after the ban). There was a 64% reduction in emergency detentions in the 6 months after the smoking ban compared to the 6 months before the ban (25 in the 6 months before the ban and 9 in the 6 months after the ban).The number of admissions during each 6 month period that we looked at were very similar (288 admissions in the 6 months before the ban and 299 in the 6 months after the ban).

Prior to the smoking ban there were concerns that it would lead to an increase in the number of violent events and patients who required emergency detention (under Section 5.2 or Section 5.4 of the Mental Health Act). This study shows that there was a reduction in the incidence of adverse events following the smoking ban.